As you know, one
of the most
exciting things that most dog lovers
can imagine is bringing home a new Cavalier King Charles Spaniel for the first time.

Unfortunately, this
excitement often wears off quickly when the new little addition to the
family begins
using the house as a bathroom area.

Fortunately,
with a bit of
consideration
and understanding
of some of the
basic principles
of potty training a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, it can be easy
to teach your Cavalier King Charles this very important behavior.

There are some points
to keep in mind when planning or starting your potty training routine. No
matter which method you decide to use, there will be accidents. Plan for them,
accept them and move on with as little fuss and negative actions or
punishment towards the puppy as possible.

Usually with
any puppies, accidents are due to very small bladders
and bowels and
poor control
as their bodies develop, very similar to young human
infants in fact.

Avoid Punishing Your Cavalier King Charles

Avoid punishing
or reprimanding your puppy for an accident, as it is likely to be more a
fault of the owner for not taking the puppy to the potty area soon enough.
Learn from mistakes and keep notes on when the puppy has accidents.

Try to see if there
is a pattern developing that can assist you in the training, rather than
become frustrated with the Cavalier King Charles. Virtually every puppy wants to make his
or her owner happy, and this can be used as an effective motivator in
potty training even young puppies.

The
Older Dog

Older Cavalier King
CharlesSpaniels
that are being housebroken or potty trained for the first time will also
have accidents, until they understand what you want. Again, patience and a
positive attitude will help the training process.

Remember that dogs aren’t
aware of the value of antique rugs or wall-to-wall carpeting, rather they
tend to relieve themselves where they feel they should - usually somewhere
out of the way, like behind the couch or in the corner behind the potted
palm.

Is
There Anything I Can Do To Help?

YES,
There are many
things that
pet owners can do to make the process of potty training easy for their new
dog or puppy.

Good planning,
an understanding of the potty training method to be used, plus other
factors such as
high quality food,
lots of exercise,
attention and love
can all have a bearing on the time that it takes to potty train your
Cavalier King Charles.

Finally, each dog
is somewhat different in personality and temperament. Some puppies and
dogs seem to almost potty train themselves where others, even from the
same litter, may require additional training but will soon learn what is
expected.

What
method Should I Use To Potty Training My Cavalier King Charles?

Well,there
are several
different potty training methods
that can be used for a Cavalier King Charles.

Deciding on
the best potty
training method is important
and depends a lot on the age of the dog, the time that you have to
interact with the dog or puppy, your living area, and what method you are
most comfortable with.

Some of the potty
training methods encourage your Cavalier King Charles to use an outside area
to relieve themselves, whereas others focus on
containing the area the puppy or dog uses inside
of the house - by the use of
litter boxes, potty training pads or even
newspapers.

Here, we will cover one popular method,
Crate Training.

CRATE
TRAINING

Crate training is
one of the most
effective ways
to potty train a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel as it uses the natural “denning instinct” of the
dog to encourage it to keep the area that it sleeps clean and free from
waste materials.

In the wild, the den
is kept clean by the mother while the puppies are young. Once they get
older and are able to walk, they naturally go outside of the living area
or den to relieve themselves.

In houses
there are no dens,
and the area is simply too large for puppies to feel that this is “their
spot”.

By
providing a den,
in the form of a crate, the puppy will learn to
wait until he
or she is taken outside before soiling in the crate.

Crate training does required active
participation and monitoring
on the part of the dog owner.

The
following is an outline of how to complete a crate training routine:

·Purchase an
appropriately
sized crate,
either plastic or wire, that is large enough for your Cavalier King
Charles to
stand and stretch out comfortably.

·Sit with your
Cavalier King Charles at the
door of the crate. Place a small treat inside the crate. Praise the puppy
for going into the crate and getting the treat. Let the puppy come out
when he or she wants, do not
close the door at this time.

·Only praise for going in the
crate,
ignore
the puppy when
he or she is
coming out.

·When your
Cavalier King Charles walks into the crate say “Crate” or “Den”or whatever word
you wish to associate
with going into the crate.

·When the
Cavalier King Charles is staying in the crate on their own to eat the treats, close
the door for a few seconds, then open it up. Only praise when the dog
goes in,
neverwhen
it is exiting.
Soon the dog realizes
in is good,
out is neutral.

·After the
puppy or dog is fine with being in the crate for more than a few minutes,
put a chew toy in with the dog to keep it occupied. Try very slowly and gradually
increasing
your distance away from the crate, and the time in the crate with the door
closed.

·Since the
puppy or dog will generally not eliminate when they are in the crate
because it is their den, take them outside to eliminate when they come out
of the crate.

·After feeding,
crate the puppy
with a chew toy.
In about 10-15 minutes take the puppy out of the crate and to the
designated toilet area. Do not play or interact with the puppy at this
time, simply take them to the spot.

·If the puppy
relieves itself, praise the puppy and spend some time interacting. If,
after about 3-5 minutes the puppy has not toileted, return it to the
crate, again without saying anything, for an additional five minutes.
Repeat the
process
without interacting with the puppy until it goes to the bathroom. Praise and play always
follow toileting while crate training.

·At night,
keep the crate in
the bedroom or
somewhere that you can easily hear the puppy. If he or she whines,
take them to the toilet area and return them to the crate with as little
interaction as possible. Just a simple “good girl” or boy will do when
they toilet.

Too
much praise
will be seen as play, and may encourage the puppy to whine throughout the
night. Remember though, the
crate is only to be used
until Potty Training is under control, not forever!

What
Are Some Advantages of Using A Crate?

The advantages to
crate training include the fact that it uses the puppies or dogs
natural instincts
to help with the learning process. It minimizes the dangers of
messes and
accidents around the house when done correctly. In addition the puppy feels secure,
and they can understand what is required in a relatively short time.

What
Are Some Disadvantages of Using A Crate?

Disadvantages to
crate training are few, but the biggest one is that it will only workif the
trainer monitors the puppy closely while in the crate,
and follows the attention/inattention guidelines.

Some
owners may think that crate training
is cruel, but this is simply not the case. Once people understand
the crate is not used as a punishment but as a safe and secure place for
the puppy, they change their opinion quickly.

Need Some More Help ?

I hope this short outline introduction to
Potty Training and specifically CRATE Training has been
helpful to you.